It may seem like common sense at this point that you should thoroughly review your bills every month before paying them, but in an age of automatic bill payment where our expenses are paid without us ever seeing the statements, the blog Five Cent Nickel explains why we should look at our statements, even if they're automatically paid: most companies consider it the customer's responsibility, and aren't afraid to say so.

The post was inspired by the author's upgrade to a new iPhone 4S back in January, at which time an AT&T rep must have signed him up for everything from roadside assistance to lost phone insurance. Unfortunately, because he hadn't been reviewing his bill every month and the full amount due is automatically deducted from his checking account, it wasn't until his March bill that he caught the new charges. He managed to get out of the plans and get the back fees refunded, but not without a snide comment from the customer service rep reminding him that AT&T considers it the customer's responsibility to review their statements and notify the company if there are any inaccuracies.

It may sound unreasonable, but most companies operate this way, and aren't afraid to tell you so in their documentation, when you call them for help, or on your bills and on their web site. The moral of the story is that even if you have your bills automatically paid, it's worth sitting down for a few minutes every month and reviewing your paid statements, just to make sure you didn't pay a fee or new charge you weren't anticipating—if you catch something, call the company right away.

Do you review your bills every month before you pay them? Do you use automatic bill payments and never see the statements? Share your money management tips in the comments.